Pontoon bridge



- Se t. 21,1926. 1,600,548

J. H. JOHNSON PONTOON BRIDGE Fil Jilly 1. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. I Jess/ 14 H .JOIHNSON ATTORNEY J. H. JOHNSON PONTOON BRIDGE Sept. 21 ,1926.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 1, 1925 INVENTOR. JosEPH H.-/OHN.-SON Q Mm ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 21, 1926.

" UNITED sra JOSEPH CH. JOHNSON, OF 'LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

IONTOON BRIDGE.

Application filed July 1,

inventionrelates to and has for its purpose the provision of a pontoon or floating bridge having a plurality of pontoons associated with each other in such manner as to effect a wide and even distribution of bridge embodying myfinvention view of the any load imposed thereon whereby a bridge constructed in accordance with my invent on is capable of supporting and permitting movement thereover excessive loads such as locomotives or cars without the liability of collapsing or such deformation .as to impede the movement of the load across the bridge. I

I will describe only one form of pontoon and will then point out the novel features thereof in claims. v

' In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a fragmentary view showing in side elevation one formof pontoon. bridge embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a view showing in plan the bridge shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective bridge with the connecting beams omitted. I

Referring specifically to the drawings, in which similar reference characters refer to similar parts in each of the views, my inw vention in its present embodiment comprises a series of pontoons P arranged in side by side relation and said pontoons. being of elongated form to displace a large quantity of water :and thus have great buoyancy. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the upper side of each pontoon is of anticlinal form with any two adjacent pontoons-connected by a trussed frame T hingedly secured 'to the apexes of the pontoons as indicated at 15.

Each trussed frame T is of substantially frustro-pyramidal form with the sides converging upwardly from the pivots 15. Each trussed frame is of skeleton form and is made up of metal beams rigidly connected to each other and arranged to withstand any excessive strains and stresses to which it might be subjected while in use. As illustrated to advantage in Figure 3, the con: struction and arrangement of the trussed frames is such that a continuous passageway is formed through the trussed frames and transversely of the pontoons, and to permit the passage of vehicles therethrough, a suitable supporting platform may be provided on the bottom of the trussed frame.

1925- Serial No. 40;908.

However, in the present instance I" have shown the bridge constructed for the spassage of trains thereover and to this end longitudinal ties 16 are arranged at the bottom of each trussed frame to "support transverse ties 17 and upon the latter are supported the rails of tracks over-which the trains are adapted to move. sections, each section responding to the width of any one trussed frame so that adjacent rail sections are supported independently ofeach other to allow the necessary. vertical movement of adj acent trussed frames.

In order to effect a wide and even distribution of any load imposed "on the trussed frames and to thus prevent undue depression of any one or groupof ponto'ons so that the trussed frames will begmaintained substantially in horizontal alinement5 I provide at opposite sides of the trussed'frames a pinrality of beams all of which extend upwardly from the pivots for pivotal and slidable connection with the upper portions of the trussed frames as indicated at 18. WVhen considering the beams for any one pontoon it will be seen by reference to Figure 1 that a pair of beams 1 9 ex' tend upwardly from the corresponding pivot 1'52fo'r pivotal and slidable connection at their upper ends with other ,trussed frames than those supported on the pontoon, while extending from the same pivot is another pair of beams 20 having their upper :ends pivota'lly and slidably connected to the next trussed frames at the corners of the confronting sides thereof. As illustrated in Figure '2, the arrangement of the beams is such that those of any two adjacent pontoons cross each other to permit of their connections to the trussed frames in the manner described and to allow of the separate and independent movement of each.

In practice, the anticlinal surfaces of the pontoons and the converging sidesof the These rails are made in being of a length cortrussed frames permit of limited movement of the trussed frames vertically when trains or'other vehicles are moving over the bridge, and with aload imposed of any one truss, it will be clear that the downward force exerted on the trussed frame will tend to lower the respective'pivots 15 thereby exerting a downward pull on the beams connected thereto thus tending to lower adjacent trussed frames against the buoyancy of the pontoonsand thus distributing the load over several of the trussed frames and pontoons so that only a minimum depression is effected of the trussed frame upon which the load is directly supported. The sliding pivots 18 are designed to allow the pontoons to respond to the undulations in the surfac of the water without actuating the beams to the extent of setting up any strain or stress on the beams or trussed frames, it being understood that the sliding pivots permit limited longitudinal movements of the beams before actuating the trussed frames.

Although I have herein shown and described only one form of pontoon bridge embodying my invention, it is to be understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is: 1. A floating bridge comprising pontoons arranged side by side, and trussed frames supported on and pivotally connected to adjacent pontoons.

2. A floating bridge comprising pontoons, and trussed frames supported on and pivotally connected to adjacent pontoons.

3. A floating bridge comprising pontoons arranged side by side, trussed frames bric ging the pontoons and pivoted thereon, and means connecting the pontoons and trussed frames whereby a load imposed on any one trussed frame will be distributed to and over a plurality of trussed frames and pontoons.

4. A floating bridge comprising pontoons arranged side by side, trussed frames bridging the pontoons and pivoted thereon, and beams pivotally connecting the trussed frames and pontoons in such manner that a load imposed on any one trussed frame will be distributed to and over a plurality of pontoons and trussed frames.

5. A floating bridge comprising pontoons, trusses bridging the pontoons and pivoted thereon, and beams having sli-dable and pivotal connections with the trussedframes and pivotal connections with the pontoons in the manner and for the purpose described.

6. A floating bridgecomprising pontoons arranged side by side, trussed frames bridging the pontoons and hingedly connected thereto, and beams pivoted on the pontoons at the hinged points of connection of the latter with the trussed frames and pivotally and slidably connected to the trussed frames.

7. A floating bric ge comprising pontoons arranged side by side, trussed frames bridging the pontoons and pivoted thereon, and beams ext-ending upwardly from the opposite ends of the pivotal connections between any one pontoon and the corresponding pair of trussed frames and in oposite directions, said beams being pivotally connected to trussed frames adjacent the aforementioned pair of trussed frames.

8. A floating bridge as embodied in claim wherein the pivotal connection between the beams and trussed frames is slidable for the purpose described. a

9. A floating bridge as embodied in claim 7 wherein the pivotal connections between the beams and trussed frames are slidable and the beams extending in opposed direc tions from the connections are arranged in pairs.

10. A floating bridgeas embodied in claim 7 wherein the pivotal connections between the beams and trussed frames are slidable and the beams extending in opposed directions from the connections are arranged in pairs with the beams of each pair connected to one truss frame at different points.

11. A floating bridge as embodied in claim 7 whereinthe pivotal-connections between the beams and trussed frames are slidable and the beams extending/in opposed directions from the connections are arranged in pairs with the beams of each pair connected to one truss at different points equidistant from; the longitudinal axis of V the truss frame.

'JosErH H. JOHNSON. 

